Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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VACUUM CLEANER EQUIPPED WITH
DIRT CUP AND SEPARATE FILTER DRAWER
Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the floor care equipment field
and, more particularly, to a dirt collection assembly for an upright or
canister
vacuum cleaner as well as to an upright or canister vacuum cleaner
incorporating that dirt collection assembly.
Background of the Invention
Bagless vacuum cleaner technology has long been known in the art.
Japanese Patent Applications 56-136642 and 56-136650 both published in
1981 disclose an upright vacuum cleaner with a dust collection chamber that
removably connects to an opening of the main unit to facilitate user
convenience during the emptying of the cleaner. A removable filter fills an
opening at the bottom of the dust chamber and serves to separate dust from air
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drawn through the vacuum cleaner by the fan and motor assembly.
The present invention relates to an improved dirt collection assembly
for an upright or canister vacuum cleaner.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance with the purposes of the present invention as described
herein, an improved vacuum cleaner is provided. That vacuum cleaner
comprises a housing, a nozzle inlet, a suction generator carried on the
housing,
a dirt cup carried on the housing and a filter assembly carried on the
housing.
The dirt cup has an inlet and an outlet providing fluid communication between
the nozzle inlet, the dirt cup and the suction generator. The filter assembly
is
also provided in fluid communication with the nozzle inlet, the suction
generator and the dirt cup. The filter assembly includes a filter holder
displaceable between an open position and a closed position and a filter
element held in the filter holder.
More specifically describing the invention, the dirt cup includes a
sidewall and a bottom wall. The inlet is provided in the sidewall. The outlet
is
provided in the bottom wall. A screen may be provided in the dirt cup across
the outlet in order to trap relatively coarse dirt and debris in the dirt cup.
Further, the dirt cup may include an open top and a lid that closes the open
top.
When the dirt cup is removed from the vacuum cleaner, the lid may be
removed from the dirt cup in order to dump dirt and debris from the dirt
collection chamber defined by the dirt cup.
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In one possible embodiment that dirt collection chamber is substantially
cylindrical in shape. Additionally, the inlet is tangentially directed
relative to
the dirt collection chamber so as to provide cyclonic airflow in that chamber.
For certain applications, cyclonic airflow may enhance the cleaning efficiency
of the vacuum cleaner.
The filter assembly includes an internal filter chamber and an inlet in
fluid communication with that filter chamber. The filter holder includes a
cavity for receiving and holding the filter element. Further the filter holder
may include a grating allowing air to flow through the filter element.
In one possible embodiment the filter assembly is connected to the dirt
cup and removable from the housing with the dirt cup. In an alternative
embodiment, the dirt cup is removable from the housing independent of the
filter assembly.
The vacuum cleaner may be a canister vacuum cleaner or an upright
vacuum cleaner. In an upright vacuum cleaner the housing includes a nozzle
section including the nozzle inlet and a canister section. The nozzle section
and canister section are pivotally connected together. The dirt cup is
received
in the canister section. The suction generator and the filter assembly may
also
be received in the canister section. Still further, the filter holder may
comprise
a drawer that slides in and out of the filter assembly.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a dirt
cup assembly is also provided. That dirt collection assembly includes a dirt
collection chamber and an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the
dirt collection chamber and a filter assembly. The filter assembly includes a
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f_iiter chamber, a filter drawer and a filter element
received in the filter drawer. A screen may be provided
across the outlet. Further the filter drawer may include an
open top, at least one sidewall and a bottom wall grating
defining a recess for holding the filter element.
Additionally, the dirt cup includes a sidewall, a bottom
wall and a lid. The inlet is positioned in the sidewall and
the outlet is positioned in the bottom wall.
In accordance with another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a
housing; a nozzle inlet; a suction generator carried on said
housing; a dirt cup carried on said housing and having an
inlet and an outlet, said inlet and said outlet providing
fluid communication between said nozzle inlet, said dirt cup
and said suction generator; and a filter assembly carried on
said housing and in fluid communication with said nozzle
inlet, said suction generator and said dirt cup, said filter
assembly including a filter holder displaceable between an
open position and a closed position and a filter element
held in said filter holder, wherein said filter assembly and
dirt cup are removable as one assembly from the housing.
In accordance with still another aspect of the
present invention, there is provided a dirt cup assembly,
comprising: a dirt cup including a dirt collection chamber
and an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with said
dirt collection chamber; a filter assembly including a
filter chamber, a filter drawer and a filter element
received in said filter drawer, wherein said filter assembly
is directly connected to said dirt cup.
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In the following description there is shown and
described multiple embodiments of this invention simply by
way of illustration of some of the modes best suited to
carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the
invention is capable of other different embodiments and its
several details are capable of modification in various,
obvious aspects all without departing from the invention.
Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded
as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Brief Description of the Drawing Figures
The accompanying drawing incorporated in and
forming a part of this specification, illustrates several
aspects of the present invention, and together with the
description serves to explain certain principles of the
invention. In the drawing:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one possible
embodiment of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a detailed perspective view of a
combined dirt cup and filter assembly removed from the
housing of the embodiment of the present invention
illustrated in Figure 1; and
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Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a second possible
embodiment wherein the dirt cup is independently removable from the housing
without the filter assembly.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred
5 embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Reference is now made to Figure 1 illustrating one possible
embodiment of the vacuum cleaner 10 of the present invention. The illustrated
embodiment is an upright vacuum cleaner 10. It should be appreciated,
however, that the present invention also includes and this patent covers
canister vacuum cleaners.
The vacuum cleaner 10 includes a housing, generally designated by
reference numeral 12, including a nozzle section 14 and a canister section 16.
As is known in the art, the canister section 16 is pivotally connected to the
nozzle section 14 to aid the operator in manipulating the vacuum cleaner 10 to
and fro across the floor. Wheels (not shown) carried on the housing 12 allow
the vacuum cleaner 10 to be moved smoothly across the floor.
As illustrated, the nozzle section 14 is equipped with a nozzle inlet 18.
In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle inlet 18 also includes a rotary
agitator
20.
The canister section 16 houses a suction generator 22 (i.e. a fan and
motor assembly), a dirt cup 24 and a filter assembly 26. The canister section
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16 also includes a control handle 28 and an actuator switch 30 for turning the
vacuum cleaner 10 on and off and thereby driving the rotary agitator 20 and
the suction generator 22.
During the cleaning operation the rotary agitator 20 brushes and beats
dirt and debris from the nap of an underlying carpet being cleaned. That dirt
and debris is then drawn by the suction generator 22 through the nozzle inlet
18 into the dirt cup 24 where the majority of the dirt and debris and, more
particularly, the relatively coarse dirt and debris is collected. Next, the
relatively clean air is drawn through the filter assembly 26 where a filter
element 32 cleans the air of substantially any remaining fine particles that
are
able to pass through the dirt cup 24. The airstream is then directed over the
motor of the suction generator 22 to provide cooling before being routed
through a final filter, to remove any carbon particles stripped from the
brushes
of the motor by the airstream, before exhausting the airstream through an
exhaust port 34 into the environment.
Reference is now made to Figure 2 showing one possible embodiment
of the present invention. In this embodiment, the dirt cup 24 and filter
assembly 26 are removable as one assembly from the canister section 16. As
illustrated, the dirt cup 24 includes a sidewal136, a bottom wall 38 and an
open top 40 closed by a removable lid 42. Together, the sidewall 36, bottom
wa113 8 and removable lid 42 define a dirt collection chamber 44. An inlet 46
is provided in the sidewall 36. An outlet 48 is provided in the bottom wa1138.
In one possible embodiment the dirt collection chamber 44 in the dirt
cup 24 is substantially cylindrical in shape. Further, the inlet 46 is
tangentially
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directed along the sidewall 36 so that cyclonic airflow is established in the
dirt
collection chamber 44. For certain applications such airflow may aid in
cleaning efficiency.
Whether or not the necessary structure is provided to establish cyclonic
airflow in the dirt cup 24, it should be appreciated that a screen 50 covers
the
outlet 48. Accordingly, dirt and debris too coarse to pass through the screen
50 is trapped in the dirt collection chamber 44 in the dirt cup 24. This
debris
may be periodically dumped from the dirt cup by removing the lid 42 and
emptying the contents of the dirt cup 24 into a garbage can, trash bag or the
like. The lid may then be repositioned on the sidewall 36 and the dirt cup 34
reconnected to the canister section 16.
As further illustrated in Figure 2, the filter assembly 26 comprises an
internal filter chamber 52, a filter holder 54 displaceable between an open
position illustrated in Figure 2 and a closed position illustrated in Figure
1, and
a filter element 56 for cleaning and holding fine dirt and debris that passes
through the screen 50. In the illustrated embodiment the filter element 56
includes a frame 58 for holding and supporting a filter material 60 of a type
well known in the art to be useful in vacuum cleaners.
The filter holder 54 in the illustrated embodiment takes the form of a
drawer that slides in and out of the filter chamber 52. More specifically, the
filter holder 54 includes two sidewalls 62 and two end walls 64 that define a
cavity 66 for receiving and holding the filter element 56. The bottom wall 68
of the filter holder 54 is a grating that allows air to flow freely through
the
filter material 60 of the filter element. As should be appreciated, the top of
the
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filter chamber 52 is open so as to form an inlet that is in fluid
communication
with the outlet 48 of the dust cup 24. The grating or bottom wall 68 of the
filter holder 54 functions as an outlet that is in fluid communication with
the
suction generator 22. Accordingly, in the illustrated embodiment, air is drawn
serially through the nozzle inlet 18, the dirt cup 24, the filter assembly 26
and
the suction generator 22 before being exhausted to the environment through
the exhaust port 34.
Eventually, the cleaning performance of the vacuum cleaner 10 may
become impaired by a dirty filter element 56. The filter element 56 is easily
serviced by opening the filter holder 54. In the illustrated embodiment the
filter holder 54 slides like a drawer to expose the dirty filter element 56.
The
dirty filter element 56 is then removed and either cleaned or replaced by a
new
filter element which is dropped right in the cavity 66. The filter holder 54
is
then closed as illustrated in Figure 1 and the vacuum cleaner 10 is again
ready
for operation.
In an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, the dust cup 24 and
the filter assembly 26 are separate rather than combined structures.
Additionally, as illustrated, the dust cup 24 may be removed from the canister
section 16 independently of the filter assembly 26.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of this
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It
is
not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form
disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the
above teachings.
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For example, while the illustrated embodiment is an upright vacuum
cleaner, the present invention also relates to and includes canister and hand-
held vacuum cleaners. Further, while the illustrated embodiment is a "clean
air" system with the suction generator 22 downstream from the dirt cup 24 and
filter assembly 26, the present invention also includes "dirty air" systems
where the suction generator is located upstream of either or both of these
structures.
The embodiments were chosen and described to provide the best
illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application
to
thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in
various
embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of
the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in
accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably
entitled. The drawings and preferred embodiments do not and are not intended
to limit the ordinary meaning of the claims and their fair and broad
interpretation in any way.
